Paul Krugman on Ezra Klein

I'm posting this in Sports & News because it's news that Klein is leaving the Washington Post. But most importantly, though, I wanted to draw attention to this passage on the art of journalism, which I think is dead-on:

Here’s the problem: When you’re covering policy, the usual tools of journalism — cultivating sources, pounding the pavement, pulling out the Rolodex — just won’t cut it. You have to have people who actually understand the policy issues — people who can pound a spreadsheet, or whose Rolodex includes academic experts as well as DC flacks.
"Otherwise what you get at best is he-said-she-said reporting — what I mocked many years ago as responding to claims that the earth is flat with the headline “Views differ on shape of planet.”

I'm posting this in Sports & News because it's news that Klein is leaving the Washington Post. But most importantly, though, I wanted to draw attention to this passage on the art of journalism, which I think is dead-on:

Heres the problem: When youre covering policy, the usual tools of journalism  cultivating sources, pounding the pavement, pulling out the Rolodex  just wont cut it. You have to have people who actually understand the policy issues  people who can pound a spreadsheet, or whose Rolodex includes academic experts as well as DC flacks.

"Otherwise what you get at best is he-said-she-said reporting  what I mocked many years ago as responding to claims that the earth is flat with the headline Views differ on shape of planet.

Click to expand...

I have often thought reporting, done correctly, is like trial work, done correctly. You of course need to know the rules of evidence, procedure, etc., but if you don't understand how to get good experts and/or don't understand what the hell those experts are talking about and/or can't communicate that to a jury, you will lose. Same thing here.